Chapter 28 #4
But then again... This was Siya. And unfortunately, Siya had inherited unpredictability from her father. That alone worried Akansha. Shaurya had no idea she planned to tell Siya the truth tonight.
He had repeatedly suggested that they tell her together, or at least in his presence, but Akansha had deliberately avoided giving him any answer.
She didn’t want him there when Siya first heard it.
Because if their daughter reacted negatively, she knew it would destroy him.
And Shaurya loved Siya far too deeply to handle even temporary rejection from her.
So Akansha decided she would handle everything alone first.
The mother and daughter got ready and headed out for their outing. After having some snacks, Siya immediately insisted they buy the gift for Shaurya first, refusing even the game zone. That alone surprised Akansha. Siya had never chosen shopping over games before.
Akansha smiled helplessly at how deeply attached her daughter had already become to Shaurya even before knowing he was her father.
She only hoped Shaurya wouldn’t ruin this chance. Because if he hurt Siya the way he had once hurt her... Akansha knew she would never forgive him again.
“Mamabear... will Sholya like it?” Siya asked excitedly, holding up a pair of sunglasses.
Akansha smiled softly. Shaurya loved sunglasses. Especially during work trips and campaigns. Though he rarely wore them while interacting with people directly.
To help her daughter, Akansha quietly selected a few frames that perfectly matched Shaurya’s taste and placed them before Siya.
“Well, he’s your friend,” she teased. “You should know better.”
Siya grinned proudly. She loved hearing people say things like that. Until now, only her mother and Richa aunty had belonged in her special “my people” category. Now Shaurya had entered that list too. And Siya was fiercely possessive about the people she loved.
Especially her mother. Though lately, Shaurya seemed to be competing dangerously for that top spot. Not that she minded. Akansha would always come first for Siya. And honestly, Shaurya wanted exactly that.
“Yes... Sholya will like this a lot,” Siya declared confidently, selecting one pair from the lot.
Akansha’s smile widened. Ironically, Shaurya would have chosen the exact same one himself.
Whether it was coincidence, instinct, or simply Siya understanding him that well already, Akansha didn’t know. But eventually, they finalized the gift.
“Now let’s go to the game zone,” Akansha said. “After that, we’ll buy a card to give with the gift, hm?”
“Card?” Siya’s eyes sparkled instantly.
“Yes. Shaurya loves you so much, right? So you should give him a thank-you card na? For loving you, playing with you, and buying you so many gifts.”
Siya nodded enthusiastically. Akansha inhaled deeply.
God... she was really about to do this.
Inside the card shop, Siya immediately ran toward all the bright pink glittery cards while Akansha naturally drifted toward the simpler, elegant ones.
“Mamabear...” Siya suddenly asked innocently, “will Sholya also give me a thanku(thank you) card? I love him, I pay(play) with him, and now I got him a gipht(gift) too.”
Akansha laughed softly at her daughter’s logic.
“Yes baby... technically he should. Let’s see if he does.”
As Siya searched seriously for the “perfect” card, Akansha secretly recorded her and sent the video to Shaurya. She herself didn’t understand why she did it.
Maybe she simply wanted him to witness how desperately his daughter wanted everything to be perfect for him. Shaurya was stuck in a meeting and didn’t see the video immediately.
When no reply came, Akansha assumed he was busy and slipped her phone back into her bag.
'Come on, Akansha...You can do this.' Mentally preparing herself, she finally walked toward her daughter holding a card in her hand.
“Siyabear...” she said softly, kneeling beside her. “Maybe you should give this one to Shaurya.”
She handed over a beautiful card.
A “Thank You Dad” card.
Siya excitedly snatched the card from Akansha’s hand the moment she saw the glittery design. Her tiny face lit up instantly as she admired it with sparkling eyes. But slowly, her smile faded. The huge glittering word written across the front caught her attention.
“Dad.”
It was impossible to miss. Siya was smart enough to understand one thing very clearly — she did not have anyone called “Dad” in her life.
Then why was her mama bear asking her to give this card to Shaurya?
Confusion filled the little girl’s face as she kept staring between the card and her mother.
Akansha instantly understood her daughter’s dilemma.
Kneeling down in front of Siya, she gently cupped her cheeks.
“Maybe my Siyabear is right...” Akansha said softly. “Shaurya loves you just like Ammu’s dad loves her.”
Siya’s entire face brightened with happiness. In her innocent little mind, she assumed her mother was finally allowing her to call Shaurya “Papa” because he loved her like a father. Completely unaware that he actually was her father.
“I can give this to Sholya?” Siya asked excitedly.
When Akansha nodded, the little girl squealed happily and hugged her mother tightly.
“Mamabear... can I call Sholya Papa?” she asked innocently.
Akansha inhaled deeply. Now she understood exactly what conclusion her daughter had reached. And this was the moment she needed to tell her the complete truth.
“You can, Siyabear,” Akansha replied softly.
Carrying both the greeting card and her daughter in her arms, she completed the billing and walked out of the store. But now Siya looked both excited and confused.
Because earlier, her mother had always spoken about her father with so much importance and had strictly told her never to call anyone else “Papa.”
Then why was she suddenly allowing her to call Shaurya that?
Questions swirled inside the little girl’s tiny mind.
Akansha searched around until she finally found a quiet corner in the food court.
Since it wasn’t peak hour yet, the mall was relatively empty, giving them enough privacy for this conversation.
She made Siya sit on the table while she herself settled into the chair opposite her. Siya happily licked her ice cream despite the confusion clouding her face.
“Siyabear...” Akansha began carefully, her nervousness rising with every second. “You like Shaurya a lot, right?”
“I love Sholya, mumma,” Siya replied immediately, spreading her arms as wide as possible. “I love him thisss much.”
Akansha smiled emotionally.
“I know baby... and he loves you a lot too. Shaurya loves you so much... You are just like him.”
She kissed Siya’s forehead lovingly. Though Siya lacked the maturity to question what exactly her mother meant by “just like him,” she liked hearing it, so she simply smiled.
“Siyabear...” Akansha continued softly, trying to keep her voice steady. “Do you like your papa?”
“I don’t know him mamabear,” Siya replied honestly.
Akansha’s heart clenched painfully. Earlier, Siya used to say she loved her father despite never meeting him because of the beautiful image Akansha had unknowingly created in her daughter’s mind.
But ever since Shaurya entered their lives, things had slowly changed.
Without realizing it, Siya had started replacing the faceless image of her father with Shaurya.
And now, whenever she imagined “Papa,” she unknowingly imagined him. Akansha had hoped that would make things easier. Still, fear continued eating at her. Finally gathering courage, she held her daughter’s tiny hand gently.
“Siya...” she whispered with a trembling smile, “you do know him, baby... Shaurya... Shaurya is your Dadda.”
The words finally left her mouth and suddenly everything inside Akansha went still. For a second, she expected excitement.
Shock.
Questions.
Anything. But Siya simply froze.
The bright excitement on her little face slowly disappeared. Akansha could still see traces of happiness flickering in her daughter’s eyes, but confusion had overtaken everything else.
And that silence terrified her.
By Siya’s unusual calmness, Akansha realized her smart little girl had fully understood what she was trying to say. But why wasn’t she reacting?
“Won’t my Siyabear tell mama bear what’s bothering her?” Akansha asked softly one last time.
Instead of answering, Siya quietly climbed into her lap and hugged her tightly, burying her face into her mother’s neck. Akansha immediately understood. Her daughter needed time.
So she decided not to push further.
“Okay...” Akansha kissed her hair gently. “Then should we go to the game zone?”
Siya simply nodded quietly. No excitement.
No jumping.
No endless chatter like usual. That worried Akansha far more than tears would have.
“Okay... first let’s eat something properly and then we’ll go,” she said softly. Again, Siya only nodded.
Akansha brought her favorite french fries and patiently fed her while silently observing every tiny reaction on her daughter’s face, her own heart growing heavier with every passing second.
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Shaurya had just returned from his meeting and wanted a few moments to relax. He picked up his personal phone to check on Siya when Akansha’s message flashed on the screen. He immediately opened the video along with the caption attached to it.
“Look at her... all alert while searching a greeting card for her father.”
The video showed his tiny daughter roaming around the entire store on her little legs, carefully searching for the perfect greeting card for her “Sholya.” Every few seconds, she would excitedly pick one and show it to her mumma, asking whether her Sholya would like it.
Shaurya’s heart swelled at the sight.
The way his daughter was meticulously evaluating every card touched him deeply. She was specifically searching for extra glitter, brighter colors, and prettier pink decorations because she genuinely believed he would love those things.